1939 The famous
"Doc" Gibson
Cup is one of the most coveted hockey trophies in the Midwest. It was created
in 1938 for the Champion of the Northern Michigan-Ontario professional hockey league.
According to the Daily Mining Gazette Feb 1939 article: "It stands 32
inches high, including pedestal, is silver plated in Butler grey finish with
gilt lining. It is
mounted on an ebon

ized pedestal,
and the Cup proper is engraved at the top with the words "Doc Gibson Trophy",
under which is an attractive etching of a hockey player in action and the word
"Champions", under which the winners of the trophy are engraved. The trophy was
purchased by the league with funds contributed by each of the five members of
last year's association, which included the Portage Lakes, Calumet-Laurium,
Marquette, Painesdale and Eagle River. The trophy was named in honor of Dr. John
L. Gibson in recognition of his outstanding contribution to hockey in its
infancy in the Copper Country..." The Cup itself measures 24 inches high without the base, it is 16 inches wide at
the outside of the handles, and weighs 12 3/4 pounds; the wooden base is 14
inches square. It's purchase price was ?... (please
contact
the webmaster if you
know the purchase price.)

The Cup is named after Doctor John L. Gibson, who was a player-coach and leading
scorer for the Portage Lake teams from 1900 to 1905 including the World's
Champion Hockey Portage Lake Hockey team in 1904. Gibson then helped organize
the World's first Professional Hockey League with 5 teams playing 3 seasons
1904-07: the Portage Lakes, Calumet, Soo America, Soo Canada and Pittsburg.
Gibson was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

The Gibson Cup, called the Stanley Cup of
the North is the 3rd oldest Hockey Cup in the United States, only behind the 1893
Stanley Cup and the 1913 MacNaughton Cup (the Canadian Allan Cup was first
awarded in 1908 ). A Daily Mining Gazette article in Feb 1939 said: Emil
Schumacher, board of the League, appoints Doc Gibson Trophy Board of Trustees:
to guide the destinies of the Doc Gibson Trophy of the Northern Michigan
-Wisconsin Hockey league: "The Board will consist of five men, one
representing each community supporting a team in the league, who have been
active in the promotion and support of hockey over a long period of years.
President Schumacher's appointments are: John W. Rice, Houghton-Hancock,
chairman; Bernard Manderfield, - Painesdale, Phil Spear Jr. -Marquette; Gervase T. Murphy
-Calumet-Laurium and E. E. Smith -Eagle River." In 1947, Schumacher was
named to the board when Manderfield left the district; and at some later time, J. Harry Burris, Sault Ste.
Marie was added.)

The Gibson Cup trophy was given a new
wooden base in 200- and so the trophy and base now stands 30 1/2 inches high.

Named after
Hockey Hall of Famer, John L. (Doc) Gibson, the first captain and leading scorer
of the Portage Lake Pro Team, it was destiny that the first team to win the
Gibson Cup was the Portage Lake Team in the 1938-39 season! The American Sault Indians then won it
three years in a row. Competition for the cup ceased during WWII. Calumet won
the Cup for the first time in 1947, and the Portage Lake team in 1948. The Portage
Lake - Calumet rivalry for the cup began in 1968, after a lapse of nearly 10 years when
competition for the cup was inactive and on display at Tony Bukovich's Red Wings
Lounge (now called the Downtowner Lounge next to the Bridge in Houghton.)
In January of 1968, former Portage Lake player Mutty Wendberg and Head
Coach Rod Paavola received the trophy from Bukovich and set up a 2 out of 3 game
series with arch rival CLK Wolverines. The Wolverines won the series in 2 games.
The next 2 years, Portage Lake won the Cup and brought it back down to the South
end. In 1971 and 1972, the Wolverines won back-to-back series.

With the start up and entrance of the Copper Country Chief in the USHL
Semi-Pro Hockey League, the two area teams, the Portage Lake Flyers and the
Calumet Wolverines, disbanded, and with them, so did the play for the Cup. But
in 1976, the Chiefs fell on financial hardship and senior hockey was started up
again. Play for the Cup resumed between the North end CLK Wolverines and the
South end Portage Lake Pioneers, with the Wolverines taking 3 straight series in
1980, 81, 82. Senior Hockey was again disbanded after the 1981-82 season
and the Cup put in storage ---where? Senior Hockey started again in
1995 with the Calumet Wolverines
winning the 3rd game of the best of 3 series for the Gibson Cup. Each season
since, the Gibson Cup has challenged for by Portage Lake Pioneers and Calumet
Wolverines; the winner of the Gibson Cup then represents this area in the
National Tournament in Wisconsin in March.

The memory of the famous
"Doc" Gibson, considered the "father" of Copper Country
hockey, is living on with these two fine senior hockey teams continuing to
battle it out to claim the beautiful trophy named after Gibson. The Winner
represents the area in the Senior National Championships held in Wisconsin in
March each year.

1947 Calumet-Laurium ("Marquette
refused to play it's final series with Calumet-Laurium over a dispute on the
eligibility of two players on the C-L team" (Joe & Mike Butkovich; a
board voted in favor of C-L before this final game of the series, DMG 3-14-47)
1948 Portage Lakes (then cup inactive until 1954?; it is said some teams had
their picture taken with the cup even tho the cup was not awarded in these
years?)
1949 American Sault Indians
1950 No series for Cup
1951 No series for Cup (CLK Radars had their picture taken with the Cup)
1952 Portage Lake Pioneers
1953 CLK Radars (Portage Lake had their picture taken with the Cup)
1954 Escanaba Hawks *
1955 Canadian Soo Esquires *
1956 Marquette Sentinels *
1957 No series for Cup
1958 No series for Cup
1959 Green Bay Bobcats *
1960 No series for Cup: rumored that Portage Lake won the Cup at a Sault
Tournament.
1961 Portage Lake Pioneers
1962-67 No series for Cup; for awhile it was on display at Tony Bukovich's Red Wing Lounge
(now called the Downtowner Lounge next to the Bridge in Houghton.)

1968 CLK Wolverines * in best of 3, (PL
won the League)
1969 Portage Lake Flyers * in best of 3, (CLK won the League)
1970 Portage Lake Flyers * in best of 3, (CLK won the League)
1971 CLK Wolverines *
1972 CLK Wolverines *
1973-197-? no PL/Cal teams

1979 Calumet Wolverines
1980 Calumet Wolverines
1981 Calumet Wolverines *
1982 Calumet Wolverines * they defeated PL in the final game of a best of 5
series.
1983 Calumet Wolverines *
1984-1994 No local Senior Hockey played and no Cup series.

1995 Portage Lake Pioneers: who went on to be Runner-Up in the National
Championship games.
1996 Calumet Wolverines: won the 3rd game of the best of 3 series.
1997 Portage Lake Pioneers: won 2 games defeating Calumet 8-3 and 12-1.
1998 Portage Lake Pioneers: swept Calumet 6-4 and 8-6 and were Runner-Up in the
National Championship games.
1999 Portage Lake Pioneers: swept Calumet 7-4 and 4-3 and then won the National
Championship!
2000 Portage Lake Pioneers: three game series: 4-3 OT PL, 1-2 Calumet, 6-3 PL
2001 Portage Lake Pioneers: swept Calumet 8-4 and 2-1 (PL only had 10 players
show for 2nd exciting game)
and then PL was Runner-Up in the 2001 National Championship games.
2002 Calumet Wolverines: three game series: game 1 won by Cal, game 2 won
by PL, last game 7-4 Cal over PL
2003 Calumet Wolverines: and went on to win the 2003 National Adult
Championship!
2004 Portage Lake Pioneers
2005 Portage Lake Pioneers: who went on to win the 2005 National Adult
Championship
2006 Portage Lake Pioneers: swept Calumet 6-5 and 4-3.
2007 2008
2009 Portage Lake Pioneers:
2010

The Game Results below
were compiled by Bob
Erkkila from Daily Mining Gazette newspapers:

1938-39Portage Lake Elks defeated the Calumet-Laurium Chevrolets 11-10 in a four
game total goal series. Portage Lake Elks regular
season Champs of the Michigan-Ontario Pro Hockey League.

1939-40American
Sault Indians defeated the Portage Lake Elks 15-10 in a four game total goal series.

1940-41American
Sault Indians defeated the Portage Lake Lakers 17-8 in a four game total goal series.

1941-42American
Sault Indians defeated the Marquette Sentinels 18-11 in a four game total goal
series.

1942-43No
series scheduled due to World War II.

1943-44No
series scheduled due to World War II.

1944-45No
series scheduled due to World War II.

1945-46No
series scheduled due to World War II.

1946-47Calumet-Laurium
awarded the Cup due to an illegal player dispute.

1947-48Portage
Lake Pioneers defeated the Canadian Sault Greyhounds 16-15 in a four game total
goal series.

1948-49American
Sault Indians defeated the Marquette Sentinels 4-1 in a best four of a seven
game series.

1949-50No
series scheduled.

1950-51No
series scheduled.

1951-52Portage
Lake Pioneers defeated the Marquette Sentinels 3-2 in a best three of a five
game series.

1952-53CLK
Radars defeated the Escanaba Hawks 3-1 in a best three of five game series.

1953-54Escanaba
Hawks defeated the Portage Lake Pioneers 3-2 in a best three of five game series.

1954-55Canadian
Soo Esquires defeated the Escanaba Hawks 3-1 in a best three of fivegame series.

1955-56Marquette
Sentinels defeated the Portage Lake Pioneers 3-1 in a best three of five game
series.

1956-57No games
played because of a dispute over the play-off format.

1957-58No games
played because Marquette refused a challenge from Portage Lake.

1958-59Green
Bay Bobcats defeated the Marquette Sentinels 3-0 in a best three of five game series.

1959-60No
series scheduled.

1960-61Portage
Lake Pioneers defeated the American Soo Indians 3-0 in a best three of five game
series.

1961-67No
series scheduled.

1967-68CLK
Wolverines defeated the Portage Lake Flyers 2-0 in a best two of three game
series.

1968-69Portage
Lake Flyers defeated the CLK Wolverines 2-0 in a best two of three game series.

1969-70 Portage
Lake Flyers defeated the CLK Wolverines 2-1 in a best two of three game series.

1970-71CLK
Wolverines defeated the Portage Lake Flyers 2-1 in a best two of three game series.